St. Paul daily globe., 1887-04-03

|
fortune by thy facev'
A"And if made my fortune I'd bring it
to thee, lad" said the girl. turning to him
eagerly. Thee knows tits not to fOrsake
thee I'm wearying to see the world. I'd
| come back TO thee"
/ Nay" lie said. stroking her hair ten
I derly,sas though she were some frail flower
/ that might fadebeneath his touch. "Thee
i dost not know what thee speakest of, Bet.
/ Thee'd never come back. Not as I'd have
\ thee stay if l thought thee'd be happier if
thee went. 'Tis for thy own sake bid thee
stay. | love thee, Bet.'
@se4'tFis not in thee to understand" said
Bet.
She rested her cheek for second against
| his hand, then slipped quietly up stairs to
her little bedroom.
Once there she did not go to bed but sat
at the lattice window, struggling and fight
ing with her thoughts. In her hand she
held the gold chain. caressing the shining
| links, and allowing her foolish little brain
to dream of other pretty things. richer by
| far than this.
Poor Bet! She was as innocent as the
daisies that spring in the meadows. But in
her very simplicity lay her danger. 1t never
occurred to her that Challoner's batteries
! were calculated to do her harm by exciting
ambitions which could never be gratiied. He
! told her she was sweet and lovely, and that
| if she came to him in London he would
make her a lady, and she should be his
model, and that all other artists would
envy. He was clever and she was vain.
Again l say, poor Bet!
She still seemed to feel the pressure of
his hand at parting, still to hear his last
whisper, ''lf you want me. Bet-cOme."
Jasper? D, after time Jasper would be
proud OF her being a lady. 1t was only that
! he did not understand.
So. as the old clock in the kitchen ticked
| out the slow minutes and hours, Bet sat on
dreaming. whilst the subtle poison of vanity
crept into her ignorant heart.
When the dawn was breaking she rose.
| gathered some of her clothes into bundle,
and crept noiselessy into the passage.
| Once she paused. 1t was on the thresh-
! old of JasDers room, and here some sudden
, impulse made her kneel down and clasp
her hands together.
| 1.-The Lord bless thee and keep thee"
| she prayed in a whisper.
Then she glided. ghostly figure in the
chill dawn, out of the house-away ito
make her fortune"
CHAPTER II.
s'Please. sir" said Challoner's landlady,
| coming into his studio one afternoon,
| there's young person as is coming to see
| you. I'd say that she coined from the
country. She amt like our models''
| Challoner gave short whistle of sur
| prise.
'Bet!" he murmured. ''Well, show her
| up,'' he added.
| A few minutes later Bet stood before lin,
| nervous and shy now that she had taken
| the decisive step. but never doubling that
she would be as welcome as he had told her
| she would be.
"rve come, sir" she said. timidly, '.be-
cause you said you'd make me lady, and
and Pm dead tired O. the farm, and"
You want to see the world? Quite
| right. Well, how do you want me to make
| you lady. Bet?"
The question was beyond Bet. Until
then she had not even put it to herself, but
| now she knew well enough, in her un-
| sophisticated mind, that he had implied one
! very simple way of making her lady-by
| first making her his wife. The bare,
passing thought seemed such cruel treach-
ely to Jasper that hot blush covered her
face as Challoner repeated his question.
He smiled himself. and, coming closer,
| looked into her face with careless admira-
tiOn.
There is only on way of making you
that is not possible for many reasons Les
convenances, you know" :.
mo, do not know" said Bet, with
frank innocence; 81 never heard of them"
''Then take my word for it. You be-
lieve that am very fond of you, Bet?"
"Ye-es," said Bet, rather obviously,
| though it seemed the most natural thing to
believe everything that was said to her.
Every one at home had petted and made
much of golden-haired Bet, so why should
| notsevena a gentleman be fond of her if he
| said so2sand why should he not marry her
| if he chose?
What lie said, or how he made it all clear
| to her, Bet could not afterwards remember.
! ,ut gradually, as she listened to his suave
lords, she realized that all his fine speeches
meant practically nothing. She might be
one of his paid models that was all. Slowly
| the light died out of her eyes, the color
| from her cheeks, and when he ceased
speaking she looked back at him with wide,
| horror-struck eyes.
| Was it for this she had travelled all this
way-to be repulsed with ill-disguised
scorn?
Come. little one, we can remain good
| friends, all the same," said Challoner, per-
suasively.
Never. neverw she cried wildly; and be-
fore he could recover from his astonish-
ment she had darted like wild creature
! out ofsthe room, down the stairs, and out
| into the lonely street
Whittier her steps were carrying her she
knew not. The city was strange and be-
wildering to her, and the narrow streets,
| with dingy houses on either side, seemed to
crush sher.
She sank down at last on doorstep and
thought dreamily over her position. Where
should she go? What could she do? How
gain livelihood here, where she knew no
one, and where the very streets chlded her
heart and soul. One thing she felt to be
impossible-she could not go home, back
to Jasper, whom she had wronged.
UnSophisticated as she was, it yet struck
her very forcibly that to return to him when
| she was in trouble. after leaving him for her
selfish ambitions, would be despicable in the
extreme. Besides, what was she to him
now? He knew what Challoners batteries
were worth; he had warned her. and begged
her to wait and see how happy he would
make her even though he could not make
her lady.
Poor little Bet! Great tears dropped one
by one onto her hand while she whispered
her farewell to Jasper and the old Joyous
days, and sent up little prayer to God to
help her and forgive her.
AS if in answer to her appeal help did
come to her then, in the shape, not indeed,
of a benefcent angel, but of Stout kind
faced washerwoman, who was staggering
home under the weight of heavy clothes
basket. Something in the girls detected
aspect enlisted her sympathy. and she laid
a rough hand on her shoulder, exclaiming:
"How now! What are you a-cryin' your
eyes out for, my girl? I guess you're from
the country; leastways your clothes is.